Persona 4 - Momento Mori
by OrpheusBladedge
Summary: Yu Narukami has had a turbulent life. Moving from school to school, place to place, he's had to lose so many friends. So now, he doesn't even try. Re-telling of Persona 4, with a different minded main character.
1. Chapter 1 - My New Home

Chapter 1: My New Home

_**I edited this chapter a little bit, just a grammar and spelling fix.**_

_*Yeah! I Face Out! I Hold Out! I Reach Out To The Truth!*_

I scowled as I heard my phone ring, and I turned my music down before checking the caller ID.

_Mum_

My scowl returned two-fold, and I hit the hang up button. The train rumbled underneath me, and I turned up my music once more.

_*Yeah! I Face Out! I Hold Out! I Re-_

I picked up my phone and swiftly opened the back and pulled out the battery, revealing the sim card. With practised ease, I swapped the sim with another one I had in my jacket pocket.

I smiled, and replaced the battery.

"Finally…" I said. "Peace…"

I turned up my music for hopefully the last time, and rested my head against the glass of the train. The gentle rumbling of the train combined with the jet lag, I found I could barely keep my eyes open.

The world around me faded, and my music was the last thing I heard.

* * *

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room."

I opened my eyes to find myself in a blue limo.

"Okay… not the weirdest dream I've ever had…" I said, focusing on the two figure sitting across from me.

"Indeed. It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny." The man said, chuckling.

I examined the two figures. It has become some sort of a habit to 'analyse' everyone I meet, makes it easier to get what I want.

The man wore a black suit with a white, crisp shirt with a small black tie. He has an… extremely long nose, and bloodshot eyes. He has an unnaturally large grin, and he seemed to be analysing me just as much as I was him.

The girl to his left, on the other hand, was almost the polar opposite. She wore a blue attendant's outfit, with black stockings going all the way down to blue high heels. Her hair was a golden colour, which was held back with a blue hairband. She also had a blue book on her lap, which her dainty hands rested on. Her eyes were closed, but she didn't look like she was sleeping.

"My name is Igor; I am delighted to make your acquaintance." The man with the long nose said.

I snorted. Igor. That fits him well.

"This place exists between dream, and reality. Mind... and matter." He said, waving his hands in dramatic fashion.

I chuckled.

"One of the most interesting dreams I've had in an awhile." I commented, relaxing back into the comfortable limo chair.

Igor chuckled creepily.

"Now I have said my piece, why don't you introduce yourself?" He said, motioning for me to speak.

I sighed.

"Narukami. Yu Narukami." I said.

He smiled, and waved his hand.

A deck of cards appeared on the table. I raised an eyebrow, and he simply chuckled.

"Do you believe in fortune telling?" He asked.

"Not when it comes to me. Fate doesn't have any more control over me than the people around me." I said, smirking slightly.

He chuckled once more.

"Very well. Let us see what the cards show." He intoned, and waved his hands.

The cards spread themselves out into a pattern, and a faint blue hexagon appeared underneath them.

"That card representing your past is…" He began.

He waved his hand, the one of the cards, I realized now that they are tarot cards, and it had on it a goats head.

"The Devil, in the upright position." He said, and I raised an eyebrow in question.

"This card represents your past, which shows that your life is controlled. Controlled, by it through your own will or another's, to the point where it affected your social and personal life." Igor explained, watching my expression carefully.

Anger flared inside me at his words, but I made sure to keep my face neutral.

"Does this fit with your past?" He asked a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Just skip to the next card." I snapped.

He chuckled. The next card flipped, and on it had a sword with a black pattern behind it, on a green back.

"The card that represents your present is the Wheel of Fortune. Ironic." Igor said, chuckling.

I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. 'Wheel of Fortune'?

"This card means that a change has happened, a change that was completely out of your control. It means that Fate had a hand in this change, and if you do not accept it, your future will be forever lost." He explained, and I felt even worse about this 'fortune teller'.

"What's the future?" I asked, ignoring the Wheel on the table.

"Impatient, aren't we?" Igor said, his eyes shining with mirth. "Very well. The card representing your future is…"

The final card flipped over, and on it was a crescent moon, with a blue backdrop.

"…The Moon, in the upright position." Igor finished with a frown.

"Explain, please." I said, trying to get him to move on.

"This card represents mystery..." He trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

I sighed, and began tapping my foot. It was an 'impatient' habit of mine.

"It seems that due to factors controlling your choices, you will be forced into a great mystery. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future will be forever lost." Igor finally summarised.

I sighed again. The usual death, doom and destruction prophesy.

"Ah!" Igor suddenly exclaimed. "I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you!"

The girl beside Igor opened her eyes, revealing piercing yellow irises.

"This is Margaret. She is a resident here, like myself." Igor explained, waving at Margaret.

She raised a hand off her book, motioned to herself.

"My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you on your travels." She said, her voice neutral and even.

I nodded curtly at her. I didn't like either of the people in this 'Velvet Room'. They gave off an… aura. It was hard to explain, but it was similar to an uppity teacher. They thought they knew everything, but something told me it was actually true for these individuals.

"Well, Yu Narukami. It was a pleasure meeting you." Igor said, his smile warm. "Until we meet again…"

The Velvet Room swam, or maybe it was my vision. I stood up; trying to stay conscious, but darkness soon consumed my senses. I fell backwards into the chair, and I passed out.

* * *

My eyes opened slowly, and I felt someone shaking me.

"Yu? Yu, wake up!" A man said, his voice impatient.

I scowled, and he stopped shaking me.

"Finally. Thought you'd never wake up." The voice said.

I opened my eyes fully, and I saw a black-haired, grizzled looking man. He had a small amount of stubble, probably left there intentionally, and he held his jacket over his shoulder. He wore a grey shirt, with a red tie.

Finally, he had the same grey eyes as me.

"Ryotaro Dojima, I'm guessing?" I said; sleep still clinging to my voice.

He smiled, but it held no real weight.

"Yeah. Guess that means your Yu?" He said, trying to keep the conversation going.

"You know who I am, you said my name." I said, tiredness overriding any politeness I might have shown to Dojima.

He sighed.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, come on. My daughter's waiting on the station." He said, and walked off toward the door.

I scowled, picking up my earphones that had fallen out at some point, and gathering my things to leave.

I walked out onto the platform, and saw Dojima ruffling the hair of a young girl, who in turn slapped his hand away with an angry pout on her face.

I scowled.

_At least she still has her father…_

"Yu! Over here!" I heard Dojima call out, and I walked over to the pair.

"Nanako, this is Yu Narukami. He's your cousin from Tokyo, and he'll be staying with us for a while." Dojima explained, as 'Nanako' blushed and ran behind her father.

Dojima laughed.

"C'mon, say hi to your cousin." He coaxed, but all he got for his trouble was a slap from his daughter.

"Ow! C'mon, Nanako!" He sighed, and his attention returned to me.

"Well, come on. Let's go." He said, and we made our way to his car.

* * *

Inaba is… boring. That's the only way I can think of to describe it. It had _nothing_, not even a McDonalds. That says something, if even a chain spreading faster than the Black Plague isn't even here.

It DOES have a Junes though, so at least I know I can still get music, games and clothes. And food, but to a lesser extent. Junes food is terrible.

I watched some giant screens in the front entrance to Junes as we passed, music blocking out all sound. Suddenly, we made a fairly sharp turn, into a gas station.

_Why couldn't you wait till tomorrow, old man? I want to get to my 'home' and rest._

I yawned, the jet lag catching up to me again.

A knock on the window jolted me out of sleepiness, and I winded down the window to see Dojima.

"Why don't you get out and stretch your legs?" He asked, and I nodded. I felt like a walk around anyway.

I got out, and I heard an overly hyped up voice talking Dojima.

"Fill up my car while you're at it. Regulars fine." Dojima said, adding on at the end, "Good time as any for a smoke."

That settles the case of where I'd get my cigarettes, so the only matter now is whoever or not I have a TV, and where all good.

"Are you in high school?"

I turned and saw the kid that had served Dojima earlier.

"Yeah. What of it?" I said, not liking the vibe this kid gave off.

"Does it surprise a city boy to see how little there is out here?" The attendant chuckled.

I raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you know I came from the city?" I asked, backing up slightly.

He creepily chuckled again.

"It's not hard. You look around gaping like a fish out of water." He said.

_No I don't. I make sure to keep my face neutral at all times…_

"What do you want?" I asked, tensing myself.

"Just wanted to let you know that if you're looking for a job, were offering part time work. Money comes in handy in a place with nothing at all." He said, and chuckled.

He walked forward and held out his hand.

"Give it some thought. We don't mind if you're a student." He said.

_How old are you, like 15?_

I grasped his hand, and smiled softly.

"Sure. I'll think about it." I said, hoping this would get this weird kid away from me.

He grinned, and something about his grin reminded me of Igor, from my dream.

A grin that said: "I know stuff you don't!"

"Well, I should get back to work." He said, and went to fill up Dojima's car.

I scoffed, and went to get back in the car when-

_***RiiiiiiiNg!***_

"Guh!?" I grunted, closing onto the car.

The ringing won't stop! It won't stop, it won't stop, it won't stop, it won't st-

"Are you okay?"

The young voice cut through the white noise, and I saw Nanako standing there.

"Are you carsick?" She asked, shyly standing there fidgeting.

"Maybe…" I murmured. The pain from the ringing was till there, but it was fading pretty quickly.

"Are you all right?" I heard Dojima say from the other side of the car.

I grimaced and nodded, getting in the car.

_Please, just take me home…_

* * *

When we got back, I just went straight up to my room and locked myself in. My head was throbbing from the sound earlier, and I felt physically sick. I took some pills from my bag and downed them, and rolled out my futon.

"I'll unpack tomorrow… rest now…" I murmured out loud.

I collapsed onto the futon, still dressed, and was asleep within minutes.

**AN: Good? Great? Awesome? Outstanding? AMAZING?! (If you got that reference, you are amazing!)**

**Make sure to leave a review if you liked it, if you didn't like it, or if you want to just leave a review!**

**See Ya!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Yasogami High

**AN: Yeah, I'm writing this straight after I posted the first chapter, but I've had this story stuck in my head all day, so I'm gonna write another chapter!**

**Review the Reviews!**

**Shizuka Shirakawa: I, personally, don't like straight up novelizations of games. There good, but I've already read them, in a sense. So, this story will have many deviations from the original plot. New characters, new circumstances, new events, new dungeons, new shadows etc. So, I hope that will keep you interested! :D**

Chapter 2: Yasogami High

"_Do you seek the truth?"_

I opened my eyes to see blinding white fog. Everywhere I looked, there was the fog. It obscured my vision and dulled my senses.

Ahead in the fog, I saw a figure. It was probably the source of the voice.

"Hey! Who are you?" I shouted out to the figure.

"_If you seek the truth, come and find me." _It said, and the figure walked off deeper into the fog.

"Hey! Wait!" I said, running after the figure.

The fog made it incredibly difficult to see the rapidly disappearing figure, but I kept him in line of sight. The floor, a red and black pattern, curved suddenly, and I nearly fell into the endless fog.

"_It seems you can see a little, despite the fog…" _The figure said, and suddenly disappeared.

It its place was a large wall. It had the same colour and pattern as the floor, and there was a single red button in the middle.

"_This is your last chance to turn back." _I heard the figure say.

I smirked.

"I don't turn away from anything." I said, my voice echoing around in the fog.

I pressed the button.

The wall suddenly folded in on itself, and it transformed into a doorway. Inside, was the figure.

I ran forward, running straight at the figure, and swung at it. I felt the blow land, but it felt like I was punching a cloud.

"_You have strength, but is it enough?" _The figure asked, and I swung again.

The same result, and I felt my frustration begin to rise.

"_You are a prime example of humanity…" _The figure said.

I ignored its words, and swung my leg out toward its head. It hit, but there suddenly my leg was knocked backward, and I fell to the ground.

"_Humanity sees only what they wish to see…" _The figure intoned. _"And so the fog deepens…"_

There was a sudden rush of fog, and I couldn't even see my hands in front of my face. I swung blindly at where I had seen the figure last, but my strikes only landed air.

"_We will meet again…" _I heard the figure say, from far off in the distance. _"In a place other than here…"_

With those words, darkness swam into my vision, and I felt my strength leave me. I collapsed in the fog, and heard no more.

* * *

I woke up with a start. I was covered in a cold sweat, and I was shaking.

_Calm down… it was only a dream… calm down…._

I repeated those words like a mantra, until I felt my body relax, and I finally regained control of my thoughts.

"What a weird dream…" I murmured.

I tried to swing my legs out of bed, but all I did was whack them against my desk leg.

"Fuuuaaaaa!" I cried, holding my leg.

Oh. That's right; I'm not in my old 'room'. I moved again. The pain went away, and I sighed.

"Might as well get ready for school…" I said, sighing again at the mere thought of it.

"I'm of out, goodbye Nanako!" I heard from downstairs.

Dojima was off to work? I never actually asked him what he did… Ah well.

"He if he's out…" I said, and grinned.

I quickly got dressed, and as quietly as I could, I checked all the rooms in the hallway until I found my uncles.

"Bingo…" I whispered, peering into a room with a double bed that stank of smoke.

I inhaled slightly for a second, and set about in my search.

"C'mon, c'mon…" I murmured, checking my watch anxiously.

I opened his draw and-

"Bingo!" I said triumphantly.

Two packs of cigarettes, not opened, and a zippo lighter.

I picked them up, making sure to replace everything I moved, and went downstairs.

"Hi Nanako." I said as I made my way to the kitchen. I felt like toast this morning, maybe with some eggs.

"I already made breakfast." Nanako said from the table, and motioned toward a plate full of toast, scrambled egg and crispy bacon. My mouth watered at the sight of it.

"Thanks, Nanako." I said curtly, before settling down and wolfing my food.

After I was finished, I looked over at Nanako, who was cleaning her dishes, standing on a few books to reach the sink.

"So," I started. "What does your dad do?"

"He's a detective." She replied quickly, and my face whitened.

_Oh shit, I just stole cigarettes from a fucking cop!?_

"What's wrong?" She asked.

I quickly shook my head.

"N-Nothing. It's fine." I said, getting up to clean my dishes.

After the dishes were clean and put away, Nanako spoke up.

"Dad told me to take you to school." She said, and I sighed.

"Okay, let's go." I said, getting my bag.

* * *

"Go down this street." Nanako said, after about ten minutes of walking.

I nodded, and put my earphones in. I saw Nanako say something, but the music drowned her out. I walked away from her, pulling out the zippo lighter and one of the boxes of cigarettes.

I opened up the box and pulled a cigarette out, and lit it.

"Ah…" I exhaled, revelling in the smoke.

It's been a while since I've had a smoke, and that first one is always the best. I walked along the road, ignoring the looks I got from the other students. I was probably going to get detention for my uniform, come to think of it. I wore the jacket open and the shirt untucked, but it looks like everyone else wears it exactly the opposite of me. I sighed again. Thinking that I would get through the first day without getting in trouble was pretty stupid of me.

"WHOOOAA!"

_*WHOOSHH-CRASH*_

A student on a bike sailed past me, and slammed into the telephone pole. I cringed as I saw the crash, but then a chuckle escaped my lips.

"Idiot…" I said, and walked right past him.

Well, not right past him. I blew smoke in his face as I walked past, and I heard him yell out to me even through my music. I chuckled again, and just kept on walking.

* * *

The school actually looked pretty good, but no school would ever top Gekkokan High, one of the schools I went to a couple of years back. It looked like it had three stories, with an additional building, probably for extracurricular activities. The gate was pretty sturdy, and there were a few sakura trees along the path up to the school. Again, I was reminded of Gekkokan.

I walked into the school, asked a student with an afro were the faculty office is. I chuckled at the way he talked, reminding me of some kind of hip gangster out of American movies I used to watch.

Inside the faculty office, there were a few… weird characters. One lady had an Egyptian headdress on, and was carrying a dowser; another had a hand puppet that looked almost exactly like him.

But number one on the weird factor was the teacher that came right up to me with the biggest scowl on his… face?

He wore a blue and white striped suit, with a yellow and orange spotted tie. He had beady little black eyes, and he had THE biggest buckteeth I have ever seen. He also had the worst comb over job I have ever seen.

"Who are you kid? Students aren't allowed in here!" He said, and his voice grated my nerves more that his face.

"Narukami. The transfer student." I relied curtly.

"Huh. Shoulda figured it would be you. C'mon, I haven't got all day!" He said, and walked out of the office.

I sighed, and followed him.

"You're in 2-2, my class. Make sure you're on time, or it'll be detention for you!" He said without even turning to look at me.

We went up to the second floor, and walked into class 2-2.

First thing I noticed was apparently I'm not the only one who hates this guy. Everyone's faced dropped as soon as he entered the room, except for the people who were concentrating on me instead.

"All right, shut your traps!" The teacher snapped. "I'm Kinshiro Morooka, you homeroom teacher from today forward."

I nearly face palmed at the teacher. What the hell kind of teacher tells there students to 'shut there traps'? He went on and on about how 'you students are going to be pure as the driven snow'.

I shuddered.

"Now, I hate wasting time, but I'd better introduce this transfer student." Morooka finally said. "This sad sacks been thrown out of the big city, out to the middle of nowhere like yesterday's garbage."

Twitch.

"And he's just as much of a loser here as he was there. So you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!" He finished.

"Say that again."

The 'teacher' turned toward me, his face full of rage.

"Huh? You talkin to me, kid?" He snapped, and my face melted into pure, unrestrained anger.

"Say. That. Again." I said, towering over the small teacher.

Fear flashed across Morooka's face before anger once more showed.

"Huh. What are you gonna do if I don't?" He snarled, pointing at my chest.

"Bad move." I said, and gripped his wrist.

_*CRAACK!*_

"AHHHH!" Morooka yelled, holding his now broken hand.

"I don't put up with shit, 'teach'." I snarled, and turned back to the class.

"Yu Narukami." I said. I got a few confused looks. "My name."

There was a collective nod.

I walked over to the only empty desk in the classroom, and waited for Morooka to get his act together and leave.

"Narukami, principles office." He snarled, having finally taken a few pain pills.

I sighed, and got up to follow the 'teacher'.

He was silent the whole walk, which was a vast improvement in my opinion. We reached the principal's office, and inside was a regal looking desk with an old man sitting at it.

"Sir, I would like to talk to you about expelling this student." Morooka said, putting as much venom into the word 'student' as he could muster.

The principle looked up from his paperwork, and looked me over. I must look like a delinquent, with my uniform not up to 'standard'.

"What," The principle sighed. "Is the problem, Kinshiro?"

He held up his broken hand to show the principle.

"He back talked me for no reason, and when I confronted him about it, he broke my hand." He snarled, but there were tears in his eyes.

They mustn't be very good painkillers.

The principle turned to me.

"Is this true?" He asked, watching me very carefully.

I shrugged.

"He was badmouthing me, so I broke his hand." I said simply.

Experience has taught me not to lie to get out of trouble. Being honest often means that the other person thinks you feel guilty.

The principle gave me a knowing look.

"You're… Narukami-kun, correct?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Kinshiro, were you hard on Narukami-kun?" The principle asked, looking back at the 'teacher'.

"No harder than I am to any other student." He grimaced, the pain form his hand bothering him.

The principle walked over to his intercom, and told the office to call for an ambulance.

"Kinshiro, go down to the gate and go to hospital." The principle ordered.

Morooka nodded, and left the office.

"Narukami-kun, I looked at your entrance scores. 98%. You are a bright child, why do you risk your education like this?" He asked.

I shrugged again.

"I was fine with putting up with it, but when he started to insult me directly, I took action. I don't take shit from anyone." I said, not caring about my 'inappropriate' language.

The principle nodded.

"In that case, I will not expel you." He said. "Provided you do not engage in any more violence on school grounds."

I nodded, and with a small word of thanks, I returned the classroom.

* * *

The classroom was abuzz with gossip when I opened the door, but it went completely silent as soon as they saw who it was.

I sighed, and walked over to where I put my bag down, next to a girl with a short haircut, brown eyes and a green and yellow jacket.

I sat down, and put my earphones in, but a tap on the shoulder stopped me from relaxing.

I scowled and turned around to see a fairly uninteresting girl blushing, looking hopeful.

"No." I said curtly, and turned back in my seat.

_It's started already…_

Wherever I go, I always get girls asking me out. That's not me being up myself, it's just a cold, hard fact. I was, quite frankly, sick of it.

I flicked my music on, and "Reach out to the Truth" played through the small earphones. A small smile found its way onto my lips, as my favourite song cheered me up slightly. I glanced up at the clock.

It was still only 9:30.

I sighed. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

The final bell finally rang, and I quickly got up out of my seat and walked for the door.

"H-Hey! Where you going?"

"Ah…Shit!" I said under my breath, and turned around to see the girl who sits next to me.

"What?" I snapped.

The girl looked a little taken back, but anger flooded her features.

"Hey! I'm just trying to be friendly! Jeez…" She flamed, walking back over to a girl with black hair and eyes, wearing a red sweater and hairband.

"C'mon, Yukiko, he doesn't want to hang out." The short haired girl snapped, and I quietly chuckled.

I slipped my earphones back on, letting the music block out the world, and I started for home.

But, as I thought, it wasn't five minutes until I was stopped again.

"Hey!" I heard someone shout out from behind me.

I turned and saw the kid that had slammed into the telephone pole before.

"What?" I said, not trying in the least to be friendly.

Hi face picked up some defining red shades to it.

"You're the asshole that blew smoke in my face!" He said, walking up to me.

I held up my hands and chuckled.

"It was pretty funny." I said.

He scowled, but it soon turned into a smile.

"I guess… But anyway, I'm Yosuke Hanamura, nice to meet you." He said, holding out his hand.

I scowled.

"I'm not here to make friends, Hanamura-san." I said, as coldly as I could.

He blinked, and slowly withdrew his hand.

"That's cool. Sorry I bothered you." He said, a hurt look on his face. He turned and walked away, toward the main exit.

I replaced my 'wall', and walked out through the main doors.

There, I saw the girls I had; I suppose angered, talking to the creepiest boy I have ever seen. He kinda looked like a dead fish. He was talking to, Yukino, I think.

I really need to work on remembering names.

_Everyone I don't know the name of, I'm calling them by their hair._

"S-So are you coming or not?!" FishEyes said, probably out of frustration.

_I know I said hair, but god DAMN his eyes are weird._

I sighed, and walked up to them.

"Kid, no idea who you are, but you're wearing a totally different school uniform, trying really badly to pick up a chick, and you look like a fish out of water, so leave before I drag you off school property so I can beat the shit out of you." I growled, my voice cold and harsh.

Fear consumed his expression, and he turned and ran.

"There…" I sighed, starting down the path.

"W-Wait up, Narukami-kun!" I heard the short haired girl call out.

I turned, watching as the pair came down toward me.

"Thanks for that." ShortHair said. "That creep tried to ask Yukiko out on a date."

"C-Chie, don't go telling everyone…" BlackHair said, blushing slightly.

I chuckled.

"I didn't do it for you." I said. "He was bugging me, so I got rid of him."

ShortHair frowned.

"What about him annoyed you?" She asked.

I grinned.

"He has no tact. If he wanted to pick up a girl, he has to do it smoothly." I explained, turning to BlackHair.

I gently took her hand, and sent her my most charismatic grin.

"I would be absolutely honoured if you would join me for a drink sometime." I said, layering my voice with 'charm'.

BlackHair's face burned brighter red than her sweater, and she tried to speak, but it just came out as incoherent stammers.

"N-Narukami-kun!" ShortHair started, griping my shoulder and pulling me away from Yukiko, who was slowly regaining her ability to speak.

I laughed.

"Just a joke." I said, shrugging her off me.

The frown didn't leave ShortHair's face.

"Ch-Chie, it was just a joke…" BlackHair stammered, giving me a look.

I shrugged, and began to walk off.

"W-Wait!" ShortHair shouted.

I ignored them, and slipped my earphones back in.

Music blocked out any shouting that ShortHair might have followed up with, and I walked in peace.

* * *

I was the first one home, so I flicked on the TV.

"_-mi Yamano scandal"_

I turned the TV off almost instantly.

"I've had enough of this stupid feud…" I murmured, getting up to go to the kitchen.

There was some miso rice in the fridge.

Eat it…?

"Nah, I'll leave it for later." I said, and closed the fridge.

I climbed up the stairs to go to my room, and I heard quiet sobbing. My first reaction was to play my music and forget about it, but it sounded like a young girl.

"Nanako…" I murmured.

Why would Nanako be crying?

I walked over to her door, and opened it slightly. Inside, Nanako was crying over a photo.

I instantly knew what was going on.

She lived here with her father, who obviously wasn't with anyone at the moment. But, he still had a double bed. The obvious question was: where is her mother?

Judging what I'm watching here, she's probably dead.

I closed the door quietly, and went into my room.

"No kid should have to put up with that…" I said as I locked my door.

I looked over the unpacked bags in my room, and sighed.

"I should probably unpack this stuff…"

* * *

Dinner was uneventful. Dojima had to work late tonight, so it was just me and Nanako. It was a bit awkward, knowing that she had been crying just over an hour ago. I asked her if I could smoke at the table, and she nodded.

I kinda wished she'd talk to me.

I helped her clean up, and then I went off to my now pristine, unpacked bedroom. I decided to get out my laptop and play some games. I haven't played for a while, so I might be a little rusty.

First thing I noticed was that my favourite game, Innocent Sin, had been taken down about two years ago.

"Shit…" I murmured, closing the laptop angrily.

I glanced over at the clock on my desk: 11:57.

"Wonder if I could hook up my PS2…" I asked myself, and went to my shelf to find it.

And, after a few minutes of searching, I found the controller.

"Fuck! Where did I put the damn thing…? "

And suddenly, the TV behind me buzzed to life.

**AN: Yay for cliff-hangers that aren't really cliff-hangers if you've played the game or seen the anime!**

_**Yeah, this chapter has some pretty significant changes made to it. It's just that some of how Yu acted in this chapter didn't really fit his character.**_

**Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Persona

**AN: I am freaking PUMPED to write this story! And I have no idea why…**

**Usually, I give myself breaks between chapters, but I just can't help myself…**

**This is the chapter where things take a MASSIVE turn from cannon, so I hope you enjoy.**

Chapter 3: Persona

My first thought was that the TV was broken. Which really bugged me, cause it was a nice, fairly large flat screen, and I was hoping to get more use out of it. Then I noticed something else, other than static, was on the screen.

I got closer to the screen, and squinted my eyes, trying to make out the figure. It looked like a girl, wearing my school uniform.

"Why is there a girl in my static?" I asked aloud, realising how stupid I sounded.

Suddenly, the ringing from the gas station returned.

I gagged, bile suddenly rising in my through, and my temples seemed to split open, sending waves of pain through me.

"_Thou art I…"_

The words seemed to cut through the pain, causing momentary relief, but it soon returned. I collapsed to me knees, barely stopping myself from crying out.

"_I am thou…"_

"I… am thou…" I murmured, delirious from the pain.

"_Thou art the one… who opens the door…"_

_*CRAACK!*_

Lightning struck outside, and the pain suddenly disappeared. I stood up, still shaking, and found that the static was gone.

"What… was that?" I asked the air.

I reached out, still unsteady, to grab the side of the TV, but I tripped. My hand went sailing into the screen, and I thought I had broken it.

But no, my hand was inside the TV.

The screen rippled like water, white lines of static moving from where my hand was. I stared at it, confused, but suddenly, something grabbed my hand.

It pulled on me with all its strength, and I, still unsteady from the sudden pain before, tripped, and fell head first into the TV.

I heard myself scream, and then black and white lines consumed my vision.

* * *

I heard something.

It grated against my ears, a waddling, squeaking sound. I wanted to brutally slaughter whatever was making that sound.

I groaned, trying to get up, but something pushed me back down.

"S-Shush! They'll here you!" I heard a voice say.

"Wha-" I started, but got whacked in the back of the head for my troubles.

"I said quiet!" I heard the voice whisper, and I complied.

Several minutes passed, and I was fed up by this point.

"What's goin-"I began

_*THWACK!*_

Pain exploded from the back of my head, and I glared at the darkness, hoping whoever was in there could see me doing it.

Then, I heard something.

It sounded like slithering, like a snake through water, but it had a much, slimier sound to it.

"What is that?" I whispered.

The slithering suddenly stopped, and I caught my breath. Had it heard me?

There was a large bang, and suddenly something shot out of the darkness. It looked like a mascot, one that you'd find in a supermarket chain.

"We've gotta run!" It yelled, and run straight passed me out a small window, which I hadn't seen before.

"From what?" I yelled after him, but whatever was behind me answered my question.

I turned, and saw a monster.

It was a black gloop, with a silver, menacing mask sitting in it, but it stared at me, sizing me up.

Suddenly, it floated up in the air, and it morphed into a red and purple ball. The ball floated there for a second, then turned toward me.

I gasped, looking into a giant mouth, with a giant tongue.

The monster hissed at me, and lunged forward, tongue flailing.

I turned and ran, ran as fast as I could. I dove through the widow the mascot had gone through, and I landed heavily in some bushes. I was up and moving again in a second, the only thought on my mind was to not get eaten. I sprinted through a small playground, and I took a chance and looked back.

I wish I hadn't.

Two more monsters had joined the first, and they were gaining speed quickly. I looked forward again, just in time to vault a small wall, and I found myself somewhere entirely different.

It looked like the shopping district that I had been to earlier.

I didn't waste time pondering why the inside of a TV would have a real place in it, and instead ran down the road. I looked back, and the monsters were still chasing me.

"Great…" I murmured.

I made a sharp turn down another road, and I ran straight ahead.

Straight into fog.

I slowed down, feeling my chest constrict with the heavy fog I was breathing in. The monsters would catch me, and I would die. I would be eaten by them. I'd never live to see adulthood; I'd never live to be free.

"Like hell I'm going to die here!" I snarled, turning to face the approaching monsters.

The flew straight at me, and I lifted my fists, ready to fight.

"_**Please, you can't beat them!"**_

I whirled at the new voice, disregarding the monsters for a second, and…

Me.

A doppelganger. He was almost identical to me, aside from his creepy, yellow eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked, preparing myself for a fight.

The copy laughed.

"_**Please. I don't want to fight you; I just want to help you." **_He said, and he smirked irritatingly.

I turned back toward the monsters, and found that they were frozen, suspended in time.

"_**I want to have a chat with you. No half-baked monsters are gonna get in the way of that." **_The other me said, grimacing in disgust.

"What do you want?" I asked, feeling better now that the monsters couldn't kill me.

He smirked.

"_**Those monsters will kill you. But if they kill you, they kill me." **_He swept his arms out, like he was displaying himself to me.

"So?" I snapped.

He laughed.

"_**So cold! You treat everyone like that?" **_He inquired.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You're me, so you'd know that answer." I pointed out.

The copy chuckled.

"_**Of course. I forgot I was dealing with over-analytical Yu Narukami." **_He grinned.

I shrugged.

'Regardless," I began. "How are you going to help me?"

The yellow-eyed me pulled something out of his pocket, and threw it at me. I caught it deftly, and found they were a black pair of glasses.

"What are these for?" I asked, holding them up.

The copy smiled.

"_**There to open your eyes…"**_

He disappeared, and I heard the monsters behind me growl, and I heard the air whistle as they flew toward me.

I quickly rolled to the side, dodging one of the creatures, but I dropped the glasses.

"Dammit…" I scowled, diving for them. If 'creepy me' wanted me to use these, then I really don't have much choice. My fingers gripped the frames, and I quickly dodged out of the way of another monster.

"Fine, fine!" I shouted to the air, and slipped on the glasses.

I saw the world as… infinite.

Dammit, that's the last time I read Blake. Too many weird quotes.

But, as I put the glasses on, the fog receded. It wasn't constricting my breathing anymore, and I could actually see my surroundings.

"_I am thou…"_

"Those words again…" I murmured, marvelling at how the monsters seemed to hear them to, and stopped dead.

"_And thou art I…"_

I noticed the glasses were sliding down my nose, and I smirked, and propped them up.

"_Thou hast opened thine eyes…"_

There was a flash of light, and a slowly rotating tarot card floated down toward me.

"_The time… is NOW!" _

"Per…"

Blue fire suddenly whipped up around me, and I felt a strange power grow inside me.

"So…"

The card landed softly in my hand, and I felt that same feeling I did at the gas station, in my room, and when my other-self appeared.

"Na!"

I crushed the card.

The fire surged, and I felt my power grow, and it exploded out of me. A figure appeared in the flames, and it ran forward, naginata in hand, and sliced one of the monsters in two, causing it to explode into a black ichor.

The figure was my height, wearing a long trench coat. He had a silver mask on, but through it I could see the same piercing yellow eyes my other-self had. He had plain, black boots on, and his naginata had a large blade on the end, instead of a normal one. It looked like a cross between a combat army knife and a katana. He wore plain, black jeans, and had black combat boots on.

The figure then jumped up into the air, and brought its blade down on another monster. I felt the card in my hand again, and I raised it and crushed it.

"Zio!" I shouted.

The figure raised his hand, which had a black glove with added metal claws on, and snapped his figures.

A single bolt of electricity fell from the sky, and disintegrated the last monster instantly.

I sighed in relief, and the figure walked over to me.

"Good work." I said with a smile.

The figure nodded, and disappeared in blue flame.

_Thou art I_

_And I am thou_

_From the sea of thine soul I come forth_

_I am Izanagi, the Creator God_

I smirked as I heard the name.

"So, I've got a god on my side, eh?" I asked the fog.

It didn't reply.

* * *

I sighed.

"Where is the FUCKING exit?" I yelled.

No response.

"Fine!" I yelled, and stormed off in a random direction.

"_**You've already been that way."**_

"Oh, now you talk!" I yelled, whirling on my other-self.

I blinked.

"Izanagi?" I asked.

My Persona chuckled; I could practically _see _the smile behind that mask.

"Yep. I am you, and you are me, and all that crap. Just call me Iza." He said, in a positive tone.

"Iza?" I asked, looking him over.

He was almost exactly the same. This was the figure I had summoned to fight the monsters, but his weapon was gone. Well, he can summon lightning by clicking his fingertips, so I shouldn't be too worried. He had a long-sleeved shirt under his trenchcoat, plus jeans, both black, and his coat a silver zero on the back.

"Why isn't your voice all echoey like before?" I asked.

He chuckled.

"When I'm like this, I have a body. I have vocal cords. I can _speak._" He sighed.

"I don't think I've ever heard someone so happy to have a body." I said, collapsing onto a chair. I think I'm back at the playground.

Iza chuckled, and sat next to me.

"Well, when you're locked up in someone's head for your entire life, and they can't hear you no matter how loud you shout, you would be happy at being free as well." He said, and I can't really argue with that.

"You gonna take off that mask, or what?" I asked, getting tired of not seeing his facial expressions.

He chuckled softly.

"Sure. But only when it's just us. I really don't feel like others seeing me." He explained, reaching up behind his head to undo the straps.

I nodded, but I couldn't really think of when someone else would see him. It's not like I'll ever come back in here once I get out.

"Oh." Iza said suddenly, and slumped back into the chair.

"What?" I asked.

"I am you, remember?" He asked, his tone sullen.

It hit me.

"You can hear my thoughts?" I asked.

"Sometimes." He said, fiddling with his cuffs.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" I asked, worried.

"If you never come back here, I won't ever have a body again…" He said, and I felt horrible.

I was going to thank Iza for saving me by never giving him what he really wanted? A chance to live?

"I'll tell you what," I bargained. "If we find a permanent exit, and entrance, we can come by here every once in a while, okay?"

He raised his head.

"Really?" He whispered.

I nodded, grinning.

He suddenly hugged me, gripping me tighter than I could bear.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He yelled, acting like a child.

I shoved him off, scowling.

"Don't… DO that!" I yelled crossing my arms.

"Sorry…" He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"So," I attempted to bring the conversation back around. "That mask."

"Huh? Oh, right!" Iza exclaimed, and undid the clasps.

He pulled the mask away, and revealed what I had seen before.

It was an exact copy of my face, but with yellow eyes. And a goofy grin.

"Stop that!" I said, smacking him on the shoulder. "It's creeping me out!"

He laughed, and his face just _oozed _happiness. I grimaced.

"I'm half tempted to tell you to put the mask back on." I said, but couldn't hold back a grin.

He laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh as well.

"Anyway, shouldn't we be looking for an exit?" Iza asked, standing up.

I nodded, standing as well, but then I heard something.

Squeaking.

"Iza!" I hissed, and he quickly replaced his mask and disappeared in a flash of blue flames.

"Y-You're still alive?" The mascot asked, waddling into view.

I nodded, looking over the mascot. He looks like a weird cross between a monkey and a bear. He had a red and blue suit on, with red balls on it, which reminds me of a clown. His head was the 'bear' thing, and he had big eyes, that _blinked_.

"_**That's all kinds of messed up…" **_I heard Iza say from the back of my head.

I nodded slightly.

"Yeah. I'm alive." I said, my tone cold. "Why in the hell did you leave me there with those things?"

The bear smiled guiltily at me.

"I… I can't fight, so I would have just gotten in your way." He said, and I swear I saw that bear blush.

"A-All right then, do you know where the exit is?" I asked, daring to let my hopes rise.

The bear nodded, and I sighed in relief.

"Awesome! Where is it?" I asked, eager to get out of here.

The bear frowned.

"Oh, no. I'm not letting you leave until you promise my something!" The bear said, and I groaned.

"_**If this gets kinky, you're on your own."**_

_Thanks, man._

"What do you want?" I asked my tone dark.

The bear seemed scared by my response. Good.

"W-Well, someone's been throwing people in here lately, and it's getting to be a real mess! My home is getting so tangled, I don't know what to-" He tried to explain.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, throwing people in here?" I inquired, my eyebrow raised.

The bear nodded.

"Wherever they land, they change my home! Oh, there are so many new places; I don't know what to do!" The bear cried.

I sighed angrily. I don't have time for this shit.

"_**C'mon… Help him out. It's not like were going anywhere till you do."**_

_Good point._

"All right, I'll help you." I submitted.

The bear stopped crying, and looked up at me with hopeful eyes.

"R-Really?" He asked.

I sighed, and nodded.

"Thank you!" He cried, reaching out to give me a hug.

"Whoa, no thanks!" I cried out, pushing over the bear.

"Ah! NOOOO!" He shouted, rolling around on the floor like a barrel.

"Is this thing for real?" I asked aloud.

"_**Looks like it. C'mon, might be an adventure!"**_

_Shut up, you._

I helped the bear up.

"Thank you!" He shouted, back to his overly-cheerful self again.

"All right, what do you want me to do?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

He stopped being cheerful.

"Well…" He stammered. "I need you to find the person that's been throwing people in here."

I rolled my eyes.

"I know _that_, HOW am I going to find them?" I asked.

"_**Dude, he doesn't know where to look. If he did, we would've already nabbed him."**_

_Oh._

"_**If someone's throwing people in here, there doing it from OUTSIDE the TV World, right?"**_

_I get it, I get it._

"Listen, bear-monkey thing," I began.

"Teddie!" He shouted.

"Right." I said. "Teddie. If you would be so kind as to direct me to the exit, I'll look for whoever is throwing people in here, okay?"

Teddie smiled.

"Sure! This way!" He exclaimed, and waddled off into the fog.

"...why are we trusting a talking bear who calls himself Teddie?" I asked Iza.

He didn't respond, but I could… feel him shrugging.

"Okay…" I sighed. "Lead the way, bear."

* * *

We arrived at what looks like a recording studio. There were stage lights set up all over the place, and there was a really strange pattern on the floor. It had silhouettes of people lying down, like you'd get at crime scenes. There were three.

_Wonder if it means anything?_

"_**Probably. Everything in this place means SOMETHING…"**_

"Okay, were here." Teddie said, standing in the middle of the floor.

I looked around.

"Where's the exit?" I finally asked after standing there looking like an idiot.

"Oh!" Teddie exclaimed. "One exit, coming up!"

He tapped his foot a few times on the floor, and in a burst of fog, three old-timey TVs appeared, stacked on top of each other.

"I go through those?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Okay…" I sighed. "I'll keep an eye out, and I'll come back soon, okay?"

He nodded.

"This exit will take you to a different TV than the one you came through. Try to come through that one, so I know where you are." Teddie explained.

"_**Dojima's gonna be pissed."**_

_Yeah, not to mention the school. How long we been in here?_

"_**Dunno. More than a day, at least."**_

_What? How long was I out?_

"_**A long time. Your body had to accommodate to this world, so it shut itself down."**_

_Great. Just fucking great._

"Are you going or not?" Teddie shyly asked.

"Shut it, bear! I'm going!" I snapped, and climbed through the TVs.

**AN: Would you call me evil if I stopped it here? Too bad!**

**Thanks to the reviews and follows from you guys, it really makes me want to write as many chapters as I can!**

**Iza is pronounced (Eye-Za) by the way. **

_**Yeah, just a little grammar and spelling clean up. Nothing new I also changed the design on Iza's clothes, at the suggestion of a friend.**_

**Stay Tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4 - A Shadow, The True Self

_**AN: Yeah, I'm writing this AN in italics. What of it?**_

_**Haven't had a chance to read over the responses to the last chapter, cause I'm trying to make up for that gap. If I need to take a break, due to illness or schooling or whatever, I'll put a notice up on my profile, so try to check that out if you're worried that I'm not posting.**_

_**Thanks in advance.**_

_**Now, on with the show!**_

Chapter 4: A Shadow, the True Self.

I honestly didn't know what to expect as I flew through the matrix of black and white static. Where was I going to end up? In some random's home? My living room? The faculty office?

"_**Maybe well get lucky and it'll be at a landfill." **_Iza said.

"Naw, were not that lucky." I said aloud. In the TV, no one can here you talk to yourself, right?

I heard Iza chuckle, and I smiled along with it. Something about him just makes me want to smile. Maybe it's because he's me. Wish I'd known about the whole 'TV World' thing before.

"_**Ponder later, the entrance is coming up."**_

So it is. I braced myself for the hurt/confusion that was about to ensue.

"Iza, if we never go back into the TV World again, I just want you to know that you're awesome." I said, and I felt him nod.

The exit got closer and closer, and the light swallowed me whole.

* * *

"OOF!"

I blinked, and I was in the real world again.

"_**This lack of fog disturbs me…"**_

_You can't quote Star Wars, you haven't even watched it!_

"W-Would you mind getting OFF OF ME!" I heard someone roar.

I looked around, then down.

"Hey, you're…Hanyamura, right?" I asked, trying to remember his name.

"It's Hanamura, and GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" I heard him cry.

I sighed, and got up of the student.

He climbed up, brushing himself off, and looked at me.

His eyes widened.

"N-Narukami-san." He stammered, blushing.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Yosuke, what's going-"I heard someone behind me say.

I turned, and saw… Chie, I think. Can't remember her last name.

She was also blushing.

"_**Sooo…." **_I heard Iza begin. _**"Have you just accidently pulled a guy and a girl?"**_

"Shut it!" I snapped.

"Wh-What? I didn't say anything!" Chie stammered.

_Oops…_

I scowled at Chie, and turned back to Hanamura.

"U-Um, Narukami-san, you kind off, just, fell out of a TV…" He trailed off, and I sighed.

"Look, don't say anything about it, and I won't have to beat the shit out of you until you forget it, okay?" I threatened, but my heart wasn't in it.

_I'm tired as fuck…_

"_**I know, but you shouldn't be such an asshole to these guys. There kinda like you."**_

_Huh? What do you mean?_

"_**It's just a… feeling. It's the same feeling I got from those monsters."**_

_So, what you're saying is that I should summon you to cut them in half otherwise there going to eat me?_

I felt him roll his eyes.

"_**Two things. One: You can't summon me out here. Two: I meant the feel like there's something different about them. Maybe they have an awesome guy in their heads like you do."**_

_Watch yourself, get too big of a head and it won't fit inside mine._

"Um, are you okay?" I heard Hanamura ask.

I raised an eyebrow.

"W-Well, you started smiling for no reason, so I thought…" He stopped when he saw my scowl.

_Dammit Iza, look what you did._

"_**What? Made you smile? Geez, you really are cold."**_

"Look, anyway, I'm really tired, and I don't feel like beating you up. I'll just leave." I said, and began to walk away.

"Wait!" I heard him cry out, and I sighed.

They both ran up to me, looking me over.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my tone icy.

Chie grabbed my arm.

"Come with us, and well explain." She said, not even flinching at the glare I was giving her.

I tried to pull away from her, but all my strength suddenly left me

_Iza…_

"_**What?"**_

I could FEEL that fucking grin…

_Why are you trying to get me to go with these people?_

"_**I'm not doing anything… Maybe I just bring out the best in you…"**_

I sighed.

"Whatever." I resigned myself to my fate.

They both shared a grin, and they took me to the elevator nearby.

* * *

Turns out, the exit/entrance is in the TV department at Junes. As in, the deserted TV department at Junes. No one in Inaba can afford to buy a TV, so there are not even any sales clerks there.

Perfect.

The two weirdos took me up to the food court on the top floor, and bought me a drink.

I decided not to comment on it, but Iza just wouldn't shut up about "How nice they were" and "Isn't it nice to be hanging out with others?"

I want to shoot myself at the moment. In the past, I could run away from the '"Izas" of the world, now I've got one stuck in my head.

"_**But you love me."**_

_Keep talking and I'm going to break my promise to that bear._

"So," Hanamura began. "The reason we want to talk to you is this."

He pulled out his phone, and played a crappy quality video on it. It showed that static-channel thing that I watched before I was pulled into the TV. _Thanks, by the way. _I told Iza, trying to lay as much sarcasm on as possible.

I felt the grin, but Iza remained silent.

I watched the video, and I saw the same girl on the screen. She looked like she was writhing in pain. Then the image stopped, and shifted to something else.

My eyes widened.

It showed me, in the other world, and it showed Iza. It was when Iza first came out, and brutally slaughters those monsters. Seeing my face at that time, I was grinning like a madman.

"_**High on power, my friend."**_

_Indeed…_

The screen faded as I said,

"_So, I've got a god on my side, eh?"_

I looked up, and I saw Hanamura looking at me with studying eyes.

"_**Good thing you keep your face blank, eh?"**_

_Still think I showed shock when I saw myself on the screen, though._

I sighed, and fell back into my seat.

"So?" I asked. "It's a good editing job. What anime did you pull the scene from?"

Chie sighed.

"Yosuke recorded that from the Midnight Channel, a TV show that only comes on at midnight, if you're alone, on a rainy night."

"_**It WAS raining that night…"**_

_Yeah…_

"The channel supposed to show your 'soul mate', but I think it's different than that." Hanamura said, placing his hands behind his head.

I rolled my eyes.

"Well duh." I replied, mirroring his pose.

_What do you think?_

"_**It's obvious, isn't it? The Midnight Channel shows what's going on in the other world."**_

_Yeah… But why does it exist?_

"_**Who knows? But what I do know, is that that girl could have been attacked the same way we were."**_

_Yeah… Should we tell them?_

"_**What?"**_

_If that girl was in there, she could be what Teddie meant by 'someone throwing people in there'. If these two are 'special', as you put it, they could be useful._

"Who was the girl?" I asked, leaning forward.

Hanamura hung his head.

"Saki-senpai." He whispered. He was shaking. "She was found dead this morning."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting…" I said, placing my hand on my chin.

"Interesting?" Hanamura asked, rage colouring his tone. "Saki is _dead_!"

I stood, glaring.

"Do you want to avenge her?" I asked.

"_**Tread carefully…"**_

His eyes widened, then narrowed.

"What do you know?" He asked, his tone dark.

"Yosuke…" Chie said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

I sighed.

"I fell out of the TV." I said.

They looked at me.

"Don't look at me like that. You saw me, Yosuke." I said, standing.

"The answer is in that TV." I said, and I saw the disbelief in their eyes.

I looked Hanamura in the face.

"You wanna know the truth?" I asked.

"Follow me if you want to help find your girlfriend's killer." I coldly said before he could reply, and walked back toward the electronics section.

I stormed through the food court, and got to the elevator before Hanamura even got up. I smirked as he ran for the elevator, only for it to close in his face.

I laughed as I heard him bang on the door, and I felt the elevator descend.

"_**Don't you want him to follow you?"**_

_Yeah, but I enjoy watching him suffer a little bit._

"_**It's a cruel, cruel, cruel world…"**_

_Hey, no quoting movies made in the 60s. Only I may do that._

I was half way into the TV when Hanamura grabbed onto me.

"Wait!" He cried, pulling my back. "I want to know the truth."

I smirked.

"You sure?" I asked one last time.

He nodded.

"It's a rough ride, so watch were you land." I warned, and pulled Hanamura in.

* * *

"Ow, my head." I heard Hanamura complain behind me.

"Suck it up. You wanna find who killed her?" I asked, slipping on my glasses.

"Wait, why are you wearing glasses all of a sudden?" He asked, getting up off the ground.

"They help me see in the fog." I replied, looking around for Teddie.

"_**Can I come out yet?" **_I heard Iza complain in a childlike voice.

_No. _I hissed back.

I heard the familiar sound of Teddie waddling toward us, and I turned and faced him.

"Hey Ted. I found someone else who's willing to help." I said, pointing my thumb at Hanamura.

"Really? Oh, I am beary happy that you did!" He exclaimed, and I face palmed.

"Bear puns…" I murmured.

"W-What the hell is that?" I heard Hanamura scream, and I sighed.

"Teddie, this is Yosuke Hanamura. Hanamura, this is Teddie." I quickly introduced.

I felt my skin prickle, and power rise inside me.

_No._

I forced Iza back down.

"_**Aww! I wanna meet your new friend! Please?" **_Iza cried.

_I swear you have bipolar._

"_**You're no fun!"**_

I stuck my tongue out at the fog, an action neither Teddie nor Hanamura noticed, and turned back towards the pair.

"Oh, Yu-san has a beary cool pair of glasses, so I made a copy. Here." Teddie said, and pulled out an orange pair of glasses.

Hanamura took them with a confused look on his face, and put them on.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, looking around. "The difference is like night and day."

I nodded, and turned back to Teddie.

"Ted, we're looking for the last person that was thrown in here." I asked.

"_**Y'know, you didn't really ask-"**_

_Shut. Up._

"It was you, wasn't it?" Teddie asked, and I shook my head.

"No, I was just an idiot and fell in." I said, and Hanamura went wide-eyed.

"Does that mean the same could've happened to Saki-senpai?" He asked.

I shook my head.

"I've touched screens before. They didn't allow me to access a whole new world." I explained. "No, whatever this is, it's something to do with this town."

He seemed to mull it over.

"If the killer has the same skill as you, then they would have had to have fallen in here, right?" He asked.

I shrugged.

"I'm here to gather information. You're here to avenge you senpai. Let's keep the divide clear." I said, and turned back to Ted.

"Where did the person before me fall in?" I asked.

Teddie pointed off into the fog.

"That way." He said, and I nodded.

I walked off in that direction, motioning for the others to follow.

"_**Why can't I come OUT?!" **_Iza roared in my head, causing me to wince.

_I'm trying to keep you a secret, jeez._

"_**I don't wanna be a secret! I wanna meet your friend!"**_

_He is NOT! MY! FRIEND!_

Iza was silent.

I then heard my footsteps change sound. I looked down, and saw the familiar road of the shopping district, the road I had run down to avoid the monsters.

"This, this is the shopping district." Hanamura said.

I nodded, and walked down further.

"Saki-senpai's parents run a liquor store, just up ahead." Hanamura pointed it out to me again, and I nodded.

I slipped my hand into the back pocket of my school pants, and I felt the cool surface of Iza's card. I touched Iza's mind, just to see if he was still sulking, and found him waiting, on edge like I was.

We walked up to the store, and I felt… strange.

"W-Wait a second, there here!" Teddie suddenly cried.

"Huh?" Hanamura replied dumbly.

"Shadows… I had a feeling they were going to attack!" He cried, running behind me.

"Wh-What's a sh-"

_***SPLORCK***_

The same black goo that had appeared before me when I first arrived seeped out of the door to the liquor shop. It was large, larger than the others I saw. I slowly slithered toward us, and suddenly floated up in mid-air.

It hardened, and formed into a small child.

"W-What is that?" Hanamura asked.

I scowled.

"A monster." I said, stepping forward, pulling out Iza's card.

"_**Hana-chan…" **_

The shadow talked with perfect diction, despite the fact its mouth hadn't moved. The child was still floating, curled up in the fetal position. It had a small, white dress on, and its skin was deathly pale. Its hair was midnight black, and it flowed all around the small figure.

"S-Saki-senpai?" I heard Hanamura gasp.

"_**Hana-chan… I always wanted to tell you…" **_The child said, and I saw something surround the child.

Darkness.

"Hanamura, move!" I yelled, but he was frozen with shock.

"_**That you were a real pain in the ass!" **_The child cried, and the darkness shot towards Hanamura.

"Izanagi!" I roared, and crushed the card.

Iza ran forward, and jumped in front of the darkness.

"_**You would sacrifice yourself for this stupid kid?" **_The shadow growled.

Iza said nothing, but he waved his naginata. The darkness curled around him, and exploded outward, fading away.

"_**W-What?" **_The shadow gasped.

"Give it up!" Iza yelled, and sprinted for her, naginata drawn.

"_**No! Stay back! Stay AWAY!" **_She screamed, and I felt a chill run down my spine as she wailed.

"Your darkness will not affect me!" Iza cried, and clicked his fingers.

Lighting rained down on the shadow, freezing its limbs with electricity.

I ran up behind the shadow, and kicked her with all my might. She flew/stumbled forward, straight into the path of Iza's blade.

"Iza, GO!" I roared, and he raised his naginata.

"Fall!" He howled, and sliced the shadow clean in half.

The shadow let out a long scream, and disintegrated into ichor.

I sighed, and adjusted my glasses.

"I'm gonna need a weapon if we're going to get in-"

_*WHACK!*_

All of a sudden I was on the ground.

"You BASTERD!" Hanamura yelled, tears streaming down his cheek. "You killed her!"

I go tup, rubbing my jaw.

"No, I killed a monster." I said, and he went to punch me again.

Iza got to him first.

"Yosuke! That darkness would have destroyed your soul!" He yelled as Yosuke struggled against his grip.

"No!" He cried more tears streaming down his face. "Saki would never-"

_*SMACK!*_

I slapped him across the face, a neutral expression on mine.

"That thing wasn't your senpai. It tried to KILL you, got it? KILL!" I said, grabbing his collar.

"N-No, it was S-Saki…" He whispered, his face full of sorrow.

I snarled.

"If you want to think I killed her, fine!" I shouted, slamming him up against the shop wall. "But I'm going to find her REAL killer, so if you don't want to help, then f-"

"_**No! Of course I want to help fine Saki-senpai's killer!"**_

I paused, watching the confused face on Hanamura, and turned.

A copy of the crying boy in front of me stood proudly, his yellow eyes glowing with mirth, but also with something darker.

"Wh-Who are you?" Hanamura asked, and I let him go.

"_**I'm you. And you're me." **_Other-Hanamura said.

"Huh? You're me?" He asked dumbly.

The copy nodded, a cruel smirk appearing on its face.

"_**And that means I know everything about you." **_He said. _**"Including why you came here."**_

Hanamura just stared at his other-self, and I heard Iza walk over to me.

"That's his shadow." Iza whispered to me. "It's like me, but he hasn't accepted it."

I raised an eyebrow, and he nodded toward the pair.

"_**You put on a good show of being happy-go-lucky, cause you're so terrified of being alone!"**_

"N-No… Stop it!" Hanamura yelled.

"What did I miss?" I asked Iza, who only shrugged.

"What are you?" Hanamura asked. "WHO are you?"

The shadow chuckled darkly, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.

"_**I already told ya." **_He said. _**"I'm you. You're Shadow. There's nothing, I don't know about you."**_

"Screw that, I don't know you!" Hanamura hissed.

"Oh this is bad." Iza said, readying his naginata.

I raised an eyebrow.

"YOU CANT BE ME, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Hanamura cried.

The shadow's chuckle turned into a full blown laugh.

"_**That's right! Say it again!"**_

"You're not me…" Hanamura whispered. "You're nothing like me!"

The shadow stopped, and smirked.

"That's right. I'm my own self now." He said, his voice turning real, like when Iza talks.

I felt a sudden resonance of power, and the shadow exploded in dark light.

"Whoa!" I shouted, as the wave of power whacked me in the face.

I heard Hanamura collapse, and in the shadows place was a…

Giant, frog, ninja, thing?

"I am a shadow, the true self!" He intoned, walking with loud footsteps toward the now unconscious Hanamura.

He rose up his arm/leg, and brought down his foot/hand on top of Hanamura.

Or at least, he would've.

"Guh!" I cried out in pain, as Iza leapt in on top of Hanamura to protect him.

"I-Iza!" I cried, crushing the card. A bolt of lightning rained down on the shadow, and he recoiled from it like he had stuck his hand on a stove.

"The shadow is weak to electricity!" I heard Teddie shout form some hiding place.

"Thanks for that!" I shouted back, flipping off the air, and resummoned Iza's card.

"Iza! Cleave!" I crushed the card.

One thing I noticed about Iza was that he could do stuff on his own, but if he wanted to do his 'skills', I had to help him. I felt my stamina decrease slightly as he slashed at the enormous shadow with an orange, glowing blade, and I realised that using 'Cleave' had drained my health.

"Great…" I murmured.

Iza slashed at the shadow with his normal attacks, and the shadow laughed.

"Please, do you really think you can defeat me?" He roared, and slammed his hands down on the ground.

A blast of green wind whipped up, and slammed hard into Iza.

Pain exploded all over my body, and I was knocked backward into a wall.

"I'm... guessing that were weak to wind?" I asked Iza, who landed next to me.

He nodded weakly, and I saw he was flickering around the edges.

"C'mon, if you're me, then I know you're tougher than that!" I said, climbing to me feet.

Iza followed, but the flickering persisted.

I looked over at the shadow, which was just standing there, watching.

"You're like me, right?" The shadow asked Iza.

He nodded.

"Then why are you helping him?" He pointed his hand at me.

Iza looked over at me.

"He accepts me for who I am." He said. "He's my friend."

The shadow scoffed.

"Acceptance, huh?" He said, and in a more sullen tone he added. "Must be nice…"

The shadow suddenly leapt up into the air, and I saw green energy curl around him.

"Wind of Oblivion!" He cried, and slammed down onto the ground.

Iza was quicker than I have ever seen him before. He dashed out on front of me, and crossed his arms in a defensive position. The wind sliced through him, but he stood his ground. He was completely protecting me from the wind.

The blades of wind subsidised, and Iza collapsed to the floor.

"Iza!" I shouted running over to him.

He looked up at me weakly.

"H-Hey…" He stuttered.

I grabbed his shoulders.

"Don't you die!" I shouted. "Don't you fucking die on me!"

I could feel him smiling through that mask.

"I-I'll be fine, bro…" He said, his voice getting weaker. "I just… might not be around for a while…"

I stared at him, comprehending what he just said.

"I don't want you to go away…" I whispered.

He chuckled, and then coughed painfully.

"Y-You'll be fine for a while, right?" He asked, gripping my hand.

I nodded, and I felt tears well up in my eyes.

He chuckled.

"When was the l-last time you cried?" He asked. "C'mon, man. Pull it together."

And with those words, he faded away. I felt the card in my hand shatter, and the shards disintegrate into blue fire.

"No…" I whispered, tears flowing down my face.

I had only known him for a day, at the most, but this…

It felt like I had lost an old friend. It felt like the first time I had had to move, it felt like I was leaving my friends behind.

_You'll be fine for a while, right?_

"Yeah…" I said, standing up.

"I'll be fine, waiting for you to come back."

_*CRACK!*_

_Thou art I_

_And I am Thou,_

_Thou hast forged a new bond,_

_It brings thee closer to the truth,_

_Thou shalt have our blessing through the power of the Fool Arcana…_

I felt new power flow through me, and I deck of cards appeared in front of me.

I reached out and grabbed it, and felt several new presences.

"Iza…" I whispered, gripping the deck harder.

"I'll avenge you."

I crushed one of the cards, and a sea of blue fire whipped around me.

"Ose!" I cried.

The persona rose from my soul, and dashed forward, blade in hand. It sliced up the shadow with ease, and the shadow swore.

"That's not gonna work!" He roared, sending wind tidal waves at me.

Ose leapt in front of me, and the wind passed harmlessly over us.

"W-What?" The shadow cried.

I motioned for Ose to give me his blade, and I walked slowly toward Shadow Hanamura.

"Iza…" I began. "Was a good friend."

I darted forward, and cut his hand/foot off.

He screamed in pain, trying to bat me away. I dodged, ducked and weaved around his easily avoidable attacks, and sliced his whole arm off.

"D-Damn you to hell!" The shadow cried out, and exploded into black and red ichor.

Ose and his weapon faded away, and the swell of power subsided. I felt a number of the cards in my deck disappeared, leaving me with a precious few.

Iza was not one of them.

Tears threatened to break free from my eyes, but I blinked them away.

"I will be strong…" I said aloud, not caring that Hanamura was stirring. "I'll keep my promise and wait."

And at that moment, off in that mysterious limo, an old man chuckled as the door opened, and a yellow eyed boy stepped through.

_**AN: OH DAMN!**_

_**Okay, I've got a few things to explain.**_

_**Before any rabid fanboys/girls come to slit my throat in the night for making Yu summon a level 30 persona at level 3, it's all explainable.**_

_**Persona is 'strength of heart', and it's been shown in the past that in a state of heightened emotion, one can break through ones limits. Same with the wild card.**_

_**Izanagi is NOT DEAD! Think about it like Persona 4 Arena. When your persona gets hurt enough, it breaks, and can't be summoned for a while. Same deal, except it lasts a little bit longer. Also, being that he's a wild cards true persona, he will be a little bit different than the rest.**_

_**Iza will also get new skills, and get progressively stronger as the story goes on, just like all the other members of the team.**_

_**Stay Tuned!**_

_**Ps. I re-uploaded this chapter because I saw a few errors, which I have since fixed. Same with the other chapters.**_

_**Again, just a grammar clean up.**_


	5. Chapter 5 - Bonds of Friendship

_**AN: I got a few weird looks from my friends/readers after I used Ose in the fight. **_

_**It's simple:**_

_**It had to be a fool persona.**_

_**It had to be resistant/nullify/absorb wind.**_

_**It couldn't be an ultimate persona, because Yu needs to max their respective social links to use them. **_

_**Hope that clears some confusion up, so…**_

_**AN 2: I know it's been a LOOOOONG time since I updated this, but a combo of Year 11 VCE and hospital visits has severely damaged my creativity. But, know things have calmed down, I am free to write! YAY!**_

_**On with the Show!**_

Chapter 5: Bonds of Friendship

I heard Hanamura get up, stammering slightly.

I walked up to him, and he gave me a pitiful look.

"T-That thing isn't me…" He whispered, and I looked behind me.

His shadow had rematerialized, but in its human form. It stood there, a sad look on its face, and was looking at me with sorrow.

I kept my face neutral.

"That thing came from you, Yosuke." Teddie said, a sad look in his face. "You have to accept it, or it'll go bearserk again."

I twitched at the bear pun.

"B-But I…" He whimpered.

I walked up to him, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Hanamura…" I started.

Then I punched him in the gut.

"Guh!" He spluttered, and he went flying into the wall.

My mind didn't even register that I had just punched him so hard that he flew about ten meters backward, and I sprinted up to him. I grabbed his throat, and shoved him up against the wall.

"You're such a selfish prick, Hanamura!" I yelled in his face. "That poor kid over there is you, and you're pushing him away!"

He cringed, and then steeled his eyes.

"That's not me!" He yelled, and I slammed him against the wall.

"Yes, he is!" I roared. "And because you're too stubborn to accept it, I LOST someone! A good friend!"

"There was no one else here!" He cried, just barely able to get enough oxygen into his lungs to speak.

I felt my grip tighten, and tears threaten to spill out of my eyes. I dropped Hanamura, and walked over to his shadow.

And I punched him to.

"You son of a bitch!" I spat, and pummelled him over and over again.

"Stop!" I heard Hanamura yell, running over to us.

"It's just a monster, right?" I asked, levelling my glare at him.

He looked away.

"No." He admitted. "You're right."

I heard the shadow gasp, and I saw a little hope fill his eyes.

Hanamura walked over to his shadow.

"I knew it wasn't lying…" He said. "But I was so ashamed I didn't want to admit it."

He placed his hand on its shoulder.

"You're me… and I'm you." He finally admitted.

The shadow smiled . A smile that I remember seeing on Iza, that first time I saw him without his mask on, and the shadow disappeared in blue fire.

"_The acceptance of one's darkness has awakened new strength…"_

A figure appeared in the flames. The figure was Hanamura, but with a few differences. He had a white t-shirt on, with a flame-red one emblazoned on it. Denim seemed to be a big theme with Hanamura's persona, as he wore a white denim jack, with white denim fingerless gloves, and white denim jeans. He wore white skate shoes, and instead of the red headphones Hanamura has, he had a long, flowing red scarf. He also had large, golden shurikens, which he seemed to hold with no difficulty.

"_Thine strength has awakened the persona Jiraiya!" _

Jiraiya smiled, and floated down gently, until his sneakers touched the ground.

"Hey." He said.

I walked up to him.

"Jiraiya…" I began.

He bowed his head.

"I-I'm sorry for killing him…" He murmured, fiddling with the end of his scarf.

"He's not dead." I said coldly. "He'll just take a while to reform, I guess."

He looked up, some hope glinting in his eyes.

"Really?" He whispered, and I nodded.

He smiled, and turned to Hanamura, who had been standing slack jawed for a while now.

"Um…" Jiraiya began. "Hi, Yosuke."

Hanamura pointed at him.

"You're… me?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, you're him, he's you, can we please get the fuck out of here before more shadows show up?" I asked, looking over at Teddie.

"Yeah, I think were done with this place." He said, and waddled toward the door.

I followed looking back at Hanamura and Jiraiya. They were smiling and laughing.

I couldn't help but smile, remembering the happiness I'd felt when I was with Iza.

"You two, coming?" I asked, and they both looked at me like I was mad.

"What?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow.

"I think that's the first time we've seen you smile so warmly." Jiraiya said, and Hanamura nodded.

I shrugged.

"We have something in common now. I can at least feel happy for you, right?" I asked, and they shrugged.

"C'mon, Satonaka-san is probably worried sick for you." I said, shooting Hanamura a wink, and walked out of the liquor store, laughing as I heard both Yosuke and Jiraiya shout out to me.

* * *

When we emerged out of the TV, I was more prepared than last time. I landed gracefully on my knees, and stood with obvious pride. Hanamura, however, fell out of the TV onto Satonaka, who was looking around the TV for a way in.

"Wh-WHOA!" I heard Hanamura yell, as he and Satonaka tangled together.

"W-Get the hell off of me!" I heard her shout, and Hanamura was up off her in a second.

I chuckled, and got out my phone.

"Dead." I sighed, and snapped it shut.

"Do you need to call someone?" I heard Hanamura ask behind me.

I shook my head.

"Just wanted to know how long I was in there." I explained, collapsing into a nearby massage chair.

"Umm…" Satonaka began. "It's the 15th. So you were in there for about-"

"Three days?!" I exclaimed, jumping out of my seat.

"Y-Yeah… three days." She finished, shaken a little by my outburst.

"Damn it, Dojima's gonna kill me!" I muttered, and damn near sprinted out the door of Junes, ignoring the yells behind me.

I slowed to a fast walk about halfway home, and through about how I was going to explain all this.

"Hi uncle! I fell in a TV were I was attacked by monsters and this guy, who is actually me, came out and fought them! But it's okay, he's a great guy." I said to the air around me.

I sighed.

"I'm fucked."

"Why are you fucked?"

"GAH!" I cried out, and whirled on the intruder.

I blinked.

"Margret?" I asked, unsure if I remembered her name right.

She smiled, and nodded.

"I was planning on coming to see you at a later date, but an urgent matter has arisen." She explained, and waved her hand behind her.

In a flash of light, a blue door appeared there.

"There is someone who wishes to meet you." She said, and stepped over to the door.

I followed her, and she disappeared from sight.

I frowned, and tried to open the door. Locked.

"Don't call me and lock me out…" I said.

There was a flash of light, and a blue key materialised in front of me.

"Okay…" I said, taking the key and inserting it into the keyhole.

_*CLICK!*_

I heard the door unlock, and my vision was engulfed by blue light.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see the Velvet Room.

"So it wasn't a dream…" I murmured.

I heard a chuckle, and focused on the balding man before me.

"Igor." I said, nodding.

He nodded back, his mouth set in a wide grin.

"I see you have awakened to your 'power'." He said, and my face sank.

"Yeah." I said, looking away. "Wasn't that good with it, was I?"

He chuckled.

"Your power is unique." He explained, waving his hands around. "It is your power, but it's controlled by another. Your soul, given form."

I nodded, understanding fully what he meant.

"But, as you no doubt have realised, your power goes even beyond that. You, my boy, are able to possess multiple personae, and summon them as needed." He explained, and I raised an eyebrow.

"More than Iza?" I asked.

He nodded.

"The persona you summoned, known as Ose, was of the Fool Arcana, which is the social link you formed with Izanagi." Igor said. "Social Links, the bonds you form with others, will strengthen your power."

I scowled.

"I have to fake friendship to get stronger?" I asked, my tone dark.

Igor sighed, and shook his head.

"A bond formed through deceit is a hollow bond, and will fail you. True bonds, bonds that will remain strong throughout your life, hold more power than you can ever imagine." He explained.

My scowl returned twofold.

"Great…" I muttered.

Margret smiled warmly at me.

"Do not be discouraged." She said, "The fact you have already formed one, true bond is proof enough that you are capable of great things."

Igor chuckled.

"Indeed. However, our time is running short. Next time we meet, I will explain my true role. The manner in which I can best assist you."

I smirked.

"Sure thing, Igor." I said, and got up to leave.

"Wait!" I heard Margret shout to me.

I turned to look at her.

She handed me a blue tarot card.

"I talked it over with the master, and we decided to give you a gift." She said, her warm smile never leaving her face. "Here. In memory of your first true bond."

I reached out and took it, and I felt a familiar presence take up residence in my mind.

"_**Yo**__."_

"Iza!" I gasped out, a smile forming on my face.

Igor chuckled, his grin widening.

"We decided to… shorten your suffering." He said, still chuckling. "But, this is the last time we will do so."

I nodded, the smile still on my face.

"All right. See ya, Igor." I said, and opened the door back to the real world.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see the shopping district. I turned back around, and the Velvet Door was still there.

"Cool…" I said, and turned toward home.

"_**How you gonna explain being missing for three days?"**_

I smiled.

_It's good to hear your voice in my head again._

"_**I wasn't gone for that long…"**_

_Heh. Guess you really don't know what you've got till it's gone._

"_**It's nice to hear you quote things in your head again, too."**_

_Shut it. Any ideas on an excuse?_

"_**Nope. None at all, that doesn't include telling him the truth."**_

_He's a cop, we can't tell him anything._

"_**I guess…"**_

_C'mon, help me come up with a cover story!_

"_**Jesus, fine. Well… how about we got lost?"**_

_For three days?!_

"_**Hey, you're the ideas man. I'm the muscle."**_

I rolled my eyes.

_Not helpful, Iza._

"_**Fine… how about we forgot to get something from home?"**_

_He'd probably just call me parents._

"_**Ohh… yeah. That'd be bad."**_

_Yeah…_

I shook my parents out of my head, and got back to thinking of an alibi.

A thought hit me.

_Maybe…_

"_**Huh?"**_

_We can say we were at Hanamura's house._

"_**Really? Will he go along with that?"**_

_I guess we'll see._

We arrived at the Dojima Residence, and I saw that the main light was still on.

"Crap." I stated.

I walked over to the door, and pulled open the door.

"Adachi?" I heard my uncle call from within. "That you?"

_Well, here goes nothing…_

"No, it's me." I said.

"Yu?" I heard him yell, and I heard a chair scrape.

I walked into the kitchen, only to be met with my uncle gripping me by the shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He asked, sounding worried. "Are you hurt? Where WERE you all this time?"

I sighed.

"I was staying over at a friend's house." I stated, not needing to simulate tiredness in my voice. "Sorry if I worried you."

Dojima looked me over, his full of worry, and later anger.

"Why didn't you call?" He shouted, letting go of my arms to pace around.

I felt a twinge of guilt in my heart.

_He was really worried about me… why?_

"_**You're his nephew."**_

"Why were you so worried about me?" I asked, leaning on the kitchen bench.

Dojima gave me a puzzled glance.

"Why wouldn't I be?" He asked. "You're my nephew."

"_**Told ya."**_

_Shut it._

"Sorry…" I said. "My phone went flat, and I couldn't remember the home phone."

He sighed, and shook his head.

"Hey, at least you have a friend, this soon." He said with a warm smile. "I was worried you might be a bit to 'antisocial', like you're mother said."

I clenched my fist at the mention of my mother, but quickly shoved it onto my jacket pocket.

"In any case…" Dojima said, as he walked over to me. "I'm glad you're home safe."

He smiled, and patted me on the back.

_He was really worried about me…_

"_**Just goes to show that not all parents are assholes…"**_

I smiled in return.

"Sure." I said. "Good to be back."

_*CRACK!*_

_Thou art I…_

_And I am Thou…_

_Thou hast forged a new bond…_

_It brings the closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personae of the Hierophant Arcana…_

I felt my chest grow warmer, and my smile became more genuine.

"Good to be back." I said again.

He grinned.

"Well, you should probably get to bed." He said. "School tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah…" I murmured, trudging up the stairs.

As I went to my room, I saw a door of to the side open slightly.

"Nanako." I said, acknowledging her.

She quickly ducked back into her room, closing the door quietly.

"Huh…" I muttered, opening the door to my room.

_I really wish she's talk to me, sometime... It's make a nice change..._

* * *

"Good morning."

I nodded at Dojima in reply, and took my place at the breakfast table.

"I'm not going to be home till late tonight, so can you make sure Nanako gets to bed on time?" He asked me, as he drained his coffee.

I smiled slightly, and nodded.

"Thanks." He replied, and got up to leave. "Oh! Wait, here."

He handed me a new, silver key.

"That's for the house." He explained. "I planned on giving it to you a couple of days ago…"

I nodded, attaching the key to my key ring.

He waved goodbye, and I was left to help Nanako with the dishes.

"Where have you been?" She suddenly asked.

I raised my eyebrow.

"I was at a friend's. Why?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"No reason…"

I nodded, and put my jacket on.

"I'm gonna head out a little earlier." I told her. "You okay walking by yourself?"

She nodded.

"Good." I said, and stepped out into the street.

"_**Maybe we should make sure she gets to school okay…"**_

_If she did it before we got here, she can do it now._

"_**Ouch. That's rough, man."**_

_No it's not! If we baby her, she'll turn out spoiled an unable to fend for herself. She needs to know how to do things herself._

"…_**speaking from personal experience?"**_

I stopped mid step.

"Shut it." I spoke aloud.

"**But-"**

"SHUT UP!" I yelled at the air around me. "Don't talk about that again. Don't even imply it."

"**Yu, calm dow-"**

_NO!_

I pulled out my MP3, and started playing loud music. It drowned out Iza enough so that I could cool down, but it wasn't really helpful.

"Great…" I muttered.

I finally arrived at school, and I was in time to see Hanamura putting his bike away.

I tore the earphone out of my ears, and walked over to him.

"Hanamura." I said, and he jumped at the sound of my voice.

"N-Narukami!" He gasped out, and turned around.

"If my uncle asks, I stayed over at your place for the past three days." I informed him ,and turned to leave.

"W-Wait!" He yelled, and I sighed.

"What?" I snapped.

He walked over to me.

"I was thinking about… the TV." He started. "I want to help you and Teddie in finding who did this."

I raised my eyebrow.

"Okay…?" I said, trying to determine what he wanted.

"I can't let someone keep doing those things… keep killing people like Saki." He said, fists clenching. "I want to catch this guy… and make sure he pays for his crimes."

I still couldn't figure out what he wanted. Sure, justice all the way, but everything we, as a race, do has some kind of benefit for us.

"_**Maybe he just wants to help."**_

_Huh._

"And…" He said, running the back of his head. "I feel as if I could beat this thing, if your there helping me."

My eyes widened.

"_**Dude, I think Bro-suke is gay."**_

_Yeeeeah… me too._

I coughed awkwardly.

"Well, I'm sure Teddie would be happy to have you on board." I said, trying to look away.

Hanamura took a step forward.

"And you?" He asked, brown eyes watching me curiously.

**_"WARNING! WARNING! WE HAVE IMMINENT GAY SITUATION! ALL HANDS EVACUATE THE VICINITY! I REPEAT-"_**

"OKAY, STOP!" I yelled putting my hands up in front of me. "Stop it… with the… gay shit, okay?!"

He tilted his head.

"What 'gay shit'?" He asked, genuine confusion colouring his face.

"_**Dude, closet-case."**_

_No, no shut up._

"Jiraiya says you're acting weird, and I agree." Hanamura said, giving me a weird look.

I shook my head, clearing all 'un-straight' thoughts out of my head.

"Look, let's just start over." I stated, holding out my hand. "I'm Yu Narukami."

Hanamura smiled, and shook my hand.

"I'm Yosuke Hanamura." He said. "And please, call me Yosuke. Hanamura makes me feel old."

I grinned.

"All right, you can call me Narukami."

"Hey!" He yelled, and I turned toward the entrance laughing.

_*CRACK!*_

_Thou art I…_

_And I am Thou…_

_Thou hast forged a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt have our blessing when creating Personae of the Magician Arcana…_

Again, I felt my heart warm as the new bond took its place, and for that one second…

I felt like I had a true friend.

_**AN: I! AM! BACK! :D! Are you excited? No? Too bad! **_

_**A few things…**_

_**No, Yu is still an anger bitch, but he had his first taste of 'friendship', so yeah.**_

_**I made Dojima slightly more likeable in this, cause I always thought he cared about Yu, but didn't show it very well.**_

_**To make this clear… THIS IS NOT A YU/YOSUKE FIC! Just making that clear. I have a pairing lined up, but I think I'll wait a while to show it.**_

_**That's all for now… but**_

_**STAY TUNED!**_


	6. Chapter 6 - Satonaka's Struggle

_**AN: Well, here we are again. It's really good to be back, and thanks for sticking with me in my absence.**_

_**I really wanna catch up on all the time I missed, so I'll try to get these chapters out nice and quick.**_

_**Now, something is different in this chapter. Since I am allowed to make my own personal touches to this story, I'm going to edit the power of the wild card a little.**_

_**JUST a little.**_

_**Also, a quick note, P4 Arena came out in Australia! YAY!**_

_**As such, this story will also have the events of P4 Arena, but not of P4 Golden. **_

_**Well, let's get this show on the road!**_

_**Social Link GO! :D**_

Chapter 6: Satonaka's Struggle

My phone rang out, and I checked the caller ID.

_Yosuke Hanamura_

"Hello?" I intoned, never taking my eyes of the game on my TV.

"_Hey, partner?" _I heard Yosuke say from the other end of the line.

I scowled.

"Why do you insist on calling me that?" I snapped, cursing as my character died for the fifth time.

"Fuck this game!" I shouted, throwing my controller on the ground.

"_What game?" _Yosuke asked over the line.

"Demon's Souls." I replied shortly. "Iza suggested something more challenging, but fuck it!"

"_Iza? Oh, Izanagi, right?" _Yosuke asked.

"Yeah. Insisted I call him that name instead." I said, getting up to get a drink.

"_Huh. Maybe I should ask Jiraiya if he has a nickname." _I heard Yosuke mumble.

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, cracking open a can of coke. "So, what'd you want?"

"_Huh? Oh, right." _Yosuke stammered. _"Remember to check the Midnight Channel. If someone gets thrown in there, then we need to know early."_

"Yeah…" I sighed.

Yosuke, as he insisted I call him, Teddie and I had come up with a theory: that the midnight channel shows whoever is currently in the TV. Not much to go on, but it's better than nothing. We talked for a while about Persona, and we figured out that they have a kind of 'sense', which can pick up on shadows, and apparently, other persona-users. It'll be really helpful if we get separated in the TV world.

"_**We need to be ready."**_

_I agree. I don't want to have to lose you again._

"_**Wow. That sounded a bit friendly."**_

_Shut it. You're rubbing off on me._

"_**Hehe."**_

"_What are your plans for tomorrow, partner?"_

Yosuke's voice snapped me out of my conversation with Iza, and I yawned loudly.

"Sleeping, probably." I replied. "Maybe looking for a job."

"_I can probably try and get you a position at Junes, if you want it." _Yosuke offered.

I smirked.

As much as Yosuke tried to avoid it, he was the 'prince' of Junes. His dad runs the place, as he explained, so he would be able to get us in the electronics department after hours, if needed.

Very helpful.

"Maybe, but I'm hoping to get a job at the metal works I saw in town." I explained.

I'd always loved blades. No idea why, just always did. Broadswords, one-handers, daggers, you name it. But my favourite, by far, was a katana. Just the way it felt in my hand was awesome. It made me feel like I was the most badass person on the planet.

"_Huh? We have a metal works here?" _Yosuke asked, a confused tone emitting from the speaker.

I rolled my eyes.

"If you got out of Junes every now and again, then maybe you'd have noticed it." I said, another yawn threating to escape.

"_Dude, it's almost midnight." _Yosuke suddenly said.

I flipped the TV off, and I eyed the clock on my desk.

11:58

"I'll call you back." I said, and flipped the phone shut.

I stared at the screen, waiting for the image to appear.

"_**Maybe no one will appear…"**_

_Hardly. The killer won't stop with two._

The screen fizzed to life, and it showed a castle.

"This is new." I said, leaning forward in pseudo-excitement.

Then a girl, wearing a frilly pink dress popped up on the screen.

"_Good evening! Tonight, Princess Yukiko has a big surprise!"_

"What… is this?" I asked Iza aloud.

"_**No fucking idea…"**_

"_I'm going to score myself a hot stud! And I came prepared!"_

She showed off her crotch and breasts, which were… barely covered in the dress.

"_I've got my lacy unmentionables on, stacked from top to bottom!"_

I'm pretty sure I dropped my can of coke.

"_I'm going to get a whole harem, and the best of the lot is gonna be all mine!"_

She turned toward the castle.

"_Well, here I go!"_

She ran off toward the entrance, and the screen went black.

…

…

…what was that!?

My phone rang in my hand, and I quickly flipped it open.

"Yosuke?" I asked.

"_I… I mean- wha- what was that!" _He stammered out.

"Calm down!" I yelled. "Do you have any idea who that was?"

"_That was Yukiko Amagi, shes in our class." _Yosuke quickly explained. _"Chie's best friend."_

"Ohh…" I said, remembering her. "The chick who was being hit on by FishEyes."

"_Who?"_

"Never mind, it's not important." I dismissed. "What is important is getting her out. Hopefully, she's got some information on who our killer is."

"_And we've got to keep from being killed, right?" _Yosuke questioned.

"…yeah." I answered.

"_**Still a heartless bastard, huh?"**_

_You do remember you're me, right?_

"Listen, if were going back in there, we need weapons." I told Yosuke.

"_Yeah…" _He muttered. _"Hey, why don't we meet up at that metal works place?"_

"Good plan." I said. "Bring something large enough to carry them, and you can get us in through the back entrance."

"_Right. See you there." _He said, and he hung up.

I quickly texted the directions to Yosuke, and decided to call it a night.

* * *

Dojima was gone by the time I got up the next day.

_I guess cops don't get a day off…_

Nanako was watching TV as I came down the stairs.

"Hey, I'm going out for the day." I told her.

She nodded.

_Jesus, talk for fucks sake…_

"_**Why don't YOU try to talk to HER?"**_

I shook my head.

"Well… by." I said, and left.

As I began my walk, I realised that I left my MP3 in my room.

"Shit…" I swore, and turned back toward the house.

"_**Go without it."**_

I stopped.

_Why?_

"_**Then you'll have to listen to people, instead of blocking them out."**_

_I swear to the God I don't believe in-_

"_**What, me? Izanagi?"**_

_Damn it…_

"_**Can't match wits with a God, can you?"**_

_You're no god. You're me. So don't act like it._

"_**If I'm you, does that mean you see yourself as a god?"**_

_What is this, Death Note? No, I don't._

"_**I'm just saying that it's not smart to argue with yourself."**_

_Shut it. I'll argue with whoever I want._

"_**Just trust me. Leave the music."**_

…_fine._

I turned back around and headed for the shopping district.

* * *

"Dude! What took you so long?"

I scowled as I entered the metal works, and saw that Yosuke was waiting for me.

Impatiently.

"Shut it." I snapped. "I slept in."

He scowled.

"Not good enough!" He yelled, getting in my face.

I grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the wall, but something weird, and amazing happened.

He flipped in mid-air, landed feet first on the wall, and rebound-punched me in the face.

I went down. HARD.

"Ah… SHIT!" I yelped, my jaw cracking as I talked.

"Whoa!" Yosuke yelled. "S-Sorry… about that…"

I stood up, still holding my jaw.

"How the fuck did you do that?" I hissed, my jaw still killing me.

He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well… Jiraiya says it's because he's really athletic." He pseudo-explained.

I raised an eyebrow.

_Iza?_

"_**It's true. Personae augment their user's body, so if Jiraiya is speedy and athletic, it would have passed to Yosuke."**_

_Really? Hmmm…. _

"_**Before you ask, you're about three times stronger than you were before, and more resistant."**_

_Badass._

"Iza says that Personae augment our bodies." I explained. "So you're faster and stronger than before, but I'm stronger and tougher than before."

He nodded.

There was a sudden sound of a door opening, and Satonaka came in.

Twitch.

"Why is she here?" I growled.

She stepped back in shock, but quickly became angry at me.

"Why is HE here?" She spat at Yosuke.

Yosuke looked between us nervously.

"Well," He began, rubbing the back of his head. "Yu is here because he can go into the TV, and Chie is here because she insisted on coming… to save Yukiko."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

_Are friends really worth this much trouble?_

"_**Yes."**_

_Jeez, don't think about that answer, then._

"No. She's not coming." I said, my voice firm.

She strode up to me, trying to get in my face, trying to intimidate me.

Me.

'I. Am. Going." She hissed out from clenched teeth.

I smirked at her.

"No."

He foot was fast. It really was. It darted out toward an area I'd rather not say, but my keener perceptions, thanks to Iza, made it easy to block it.

And by block, I mean grab.

"Wha-" She gasped out, as I gripped her foot and flipped her over onto her back.

"Yu!" Yosuke shouted, running over to help Satonaka.

"If you can't even beat me, then how could you defend yourself in there?" I ask her, my eyes and words harsh.

But the determined look and the glare never left her face.

"I'm going, and that's that!" She yelled, and I saw tears bordering on the corners of her eyes.

I turned away from her, and went up to the desk. I rang the bell, and a gruff looking man with two scars on his face came around the corner.

"Welcome." He said, his voice as gruff as his looks.

I nodded at him, and turned to Yosuke.

"Daggers?" I asked, and he titled his head.

"How'd you know?" He asked.

I smirked.

"A fast weapon for a fast wielder." I commented, and turned back to the man.

"One katana and one set of aikuchi, thanks." I said.

He nodded, and pulled out what was requested.

I handed the knives to Yosuke, who looked at them with glee, and I unsheathed my katana a few inches.

Polished metal gleamed up at me, and I saw my reflected smile in the blade. I fully unsheathed the weapon, and it really did feel like an extension of my arm. It wasn't light enough so I would relax my hand and send it flying, nor was it heavy enough so that I had to use two hands. It was perfect for me.

"How much do I owe you?" I asked the man.

"Normally, 10,000 yen, but I'm feeling generous today. 5,000."

I smiled at the man.

"Deal." I handed him the money.

"I saw you eyeing the blade, young man." He commented as I sheathed my new sword. "You've got a keen eye. The other young one over there said that you were looking for a job here."

I glanced over at Yosuke, how was too busy fawning over his blades to care about what was going on.

"Do you?" He asked.

I nodded.

He smirked.

"You've got it." He said. "You don't have to come in everyday, but when it suits you, I could use an extra hand in the forge."

I smiled.

"Thanks." I said, and held out my hand.

He grinned and shook it.

"And," He added. "If you bring me some rare materials, then you can expect a bonus in your pay check."

I nodded, wondering how we would get rare materials.

I turned back around, and saw that Satonaka was still in the shop, watching us.

"You're not coming." I reminded her, glaring.

She glared back.

"I am." She replied, turning toward Yosuke.

I glanced at him, and he was shyly rubbing his head.

"Oh, no." I said, shifting my glare from Satonaka to Yosuke. "You are NOT letting her in."

He shrank under my glare, but soon looked at me.

"I think we should let her." He said, his voice stronger than I expected.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You know what could happen to her in there." I hissed, my tone dark.

His face whitened, but he didn't look away.

"Yukiko is her friend." He said. "She's coming."

I turned back toward Satonaka, and she had a smirk on her face.

I felt my face fall blank, and I walked over to her.

"Satonaka…" I said, my voice quiet, but my tone dark.

I saw her stiffen.

"If you want to come, go for it." I said, my voice little more than a whisper. "But, I'll tell you this now, if you get in trouble…"

I glared at her.

"You're on your own."

With that, I walked out, toward Junes.

* * *

My decent into the TV was peaceful. After a graceful landing, I checked around for Teddie.

"Teddie?" I yelled. "You there?"

I heard squeaking from my left, and Teddie waddled into view.

"Huh? You came on your own?" He asked, seeing no one with me.

I nodded.

"Show me the way." I said.

Teddie nodded, pointing off into the fog.

"Do you think she'll know anything?" He asked, as I began to walk where the bear had pointed.

I shrugged.

"Dunno, but a lead is a lead." I replied, slipping on my glasses.

"Hey, wait for us!"

I scowled as I turned around and saw a peculiar blue door.

I felt the Velvet Key grow hot in my pocket, and I walked over to the door, and opened t.

Blue drowned out my vision, and in seconds, I was sitting in the Velvet Room.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room." Igor said, his grin ever-present.

I smirked back.

"What's up?" I asked, getting comfy.

Igor waved his hand at Margret, and she cleared her throat.

"We have guided you here to explain the nature of your power." She explained.

I raised an eyebrow.

_What's she going on about?_

"I thought my power was to use more than one Persona." I voiced my thoughts.

She smiled.

"That is true, yes, but there is something deeper." She said, opening the book in front of her. "This is the Persona Compendium, and it tells the tale of your journey."

I got up, and walked over to look at it. It showed the time I formed a bond with Dojima, and with Yosuke, but not with Iza.

"Where's Iza in this?" I asked, confused.

Her eyes slid close, and a playful smirk appeared on her face.

"That will come in time, dear guest." She said, and I semi-pouted.

She turned her attention back toward the book.

"This shows the power you have gained from your bonds, and while it is normal with The Hierophant, The Magician is… strange." She explained, trailing off.

I looked, and instead of a list of Personae under "Magician" I saw a picture of Iza.

But, different. He was blacked out, but I could see that he had a few different features.

"What does it mean?" I asked, and she smiled.

"I'm sure you will find out when you tap into this Arcana's power." She said, and I couldn't help but grin back at her.

"Well, our time here grows short." Igor said, and I nodded.

"See ya later!" I said, and my vision faded.

* * *

"Yo!" I heard as my vision returned to me. "Partner!"

I shook my head, clearing my vision of fog, and looked over to see Yosuke.

And Satonaka.

"So you came." I said, arms crossed.

Satonaka smirked.

"I'm not going to stay behind just because you want me to." She said, her tone smug.

I sighed, and turned toward Teddie.

"Just stick close to Yosuke." I said, and walked over to him.

"Jeez, what's his problem?" I heard Satonaka ask Yosuke.

"I'm not sure…" He replied, their voices getting fainter.

"Teddie, you got something yet?" I asked, and he nodded.

"This way, sensei!" He yelled, and waddled off into the fog.

"_**Why are you so against her coming?"**_

_She doesn't have a Persona, so she has a shadow. If that shadow comes out, then it'll be an obstacle. Simple reasoning._

"_**Yeah, but her friend is trapped in here. You just gonna let her suffer, not knowing whether or not her friend is even alive?"**_

_Hey, I'm doing her a favour! I'm SAVING her friend!_

"_**Only because she may or may not have vital information on the killer!"**_

"You know what? Shut the fuck up!" I roared out loud, scaring the shit out of Yosuke and Satonaka.

"Wh-We didn't even say anything!" Satonaka yelled, angry.

"Not you!" I hissed, and went back to walking.

"We're here." Teddie announced, and I saw the scenery shift.

The fog receded, revealing the castle we had seen on the Midnight Channel.

"All right…" I said, attaching my katana sheath to my belt. "Let's go."

* * *

The inside was exactly what you would expect the inside of a castle to be: fancy as fuck.

Red carpets, giant ornamental doors, windows that led to nowhere, it had it all.

"Swanky…" I whistled, admiring the décor.

"Yukiko's in here, right?" I heard Satonaka comment behind me.

"Well, yeah, but we don't kno-" Yosuke began.

I heard running.

I turned, and I just managed to catch the disappearing form of a green jacket as it's wearer dashed around a corner.

I turned to Yosuke.

"You are a fucking idiot." I commented, and he nodded glumly.

I sighed, and turned back around, only to be met with black splotches of ichor, dotting the walls and floors.

"Shadows." I said, drawing my katana.

"All right!" Yosuke shouted, spinning his aikuchi around in his hands.

"_**Let's rock."**_

Iza's card materialised in my hand, and I felt the rush of power as I crushed it.

"Izanagi!"

_*SMASH*_

Iza rose out of me with all of his glory, and dashed forward, slicing open a shadow in one strike.

"Let's do this, Jiraiya!"

_*SMASH*_

"Hell yeah!" I heard Jiraiya shout.

Jiraiya emerged out of Yosuke, and started spinning his shurikans around, creating a vortex of wind.

"Garu!"

The persona obeyed, and it sent blades of wind straight into a fish-like shadow, tearing it to pieces.

"That shadow is weak to wind! Finish it off!" Teddie exclaimed from the pillar he was hiding behind.

"Iza!" I cried, crushing the card again.

"Cleave!"

Iza's blade glowed orange, and he sliced apart the remaining shadow.

"Beary nice work, Sensei!" Teddie yelled, running up to me.

"Partner!" I heard Yosuke shout from up ahead.

Iza and I ran around the corner, seeing Yosuke fighting off about five of the mouth shadows.

"Zio!"

Iza clicked his fingers, and lightning bolts rained down on the unaware shadows, killing them instantly.

"Whoa. Thanks, partner." Yosuke said, giving me a thumbs up.

"Save it." I said. "Where's Satonaka?"

He shook his head.

"No idea, but we need to find her!" He yelled, running off.

"Dammit." I swore, running after him.

_Iza, cover us._

_**Roger.**_

The Persona readied his blade, and began to slice and kick the various shadows that emerged out of the walls. I slashed at the ground shadows, while he kept the airborne ones away.

"Yosuke!" I yelled, as I saw him run through a door.

I cursed for what seemed to be the thousandth time, and dashed into the room with the staircase.

"Iza, we need to hurry." I said, and I felt him nod.

We ran up the stairs, just in time to hear a scream.

"YOU'RE NOT ME!"

* * *

I kicked the door open, only to see some kind of… hair-dominatrix-puppet master-banana head chick.

And Yosuke, being held by the throat by a large chuck of hair.

"Jiraiya!" I heard Iza yell, and I saw him being crushed under an even greater amount of hair.

"Jesus, what's with all the hair?" I asked the shadow, and it turned its head toward me.

"Oh, look who decided to show up!" She yelled, launching her whip at me.

I scoffed, and side stepped out of the way of the whip.

"What, that's it?" I asked. "C'mon, show me what you've got!"

I darted forward, Iza close behind me, slicing at the various strands of hair that darted toward me. I summoned The Fool, and Iza sent a bolt of lightning at the shadow.

"It's strong against electricity!" Teddie shouted from behind a pilla-

Wait, does he just make pillars to hide behind? I swore that wasn't there before…

"Helpful!" I shouted back, swearing under my breath.

"Weak!" She shouted, raising her own hand. The electricity collected around her, and my eyes widened.

"Iza!" I yelled. "Cover Yosuke!"

He nodded, cutting the boy loose from the hair, shielding him.

Just seconds after, a huge blast of lightning flung out from her, zapping everything nearby.

I blocked the lightning with my swor-

"GAH!"

I fell to my knees as the lightning coursed through the blade, magnifying it.

"Yu!" I heard Iza yell, and I saw him get grabbed by the hair.

"Iza!" I cried, my pain forgotten.

I slowly stood, shaky, and looked up at the shadow.

"That's all?" She taunted. "Surely that's not all you've got!"

I smiled painfully.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." I said.

I raised my hand, and The Fool appeared.

"Arcana…"

There was a flash of light.

"SHIFT!"

_*CRASH*_

Iza was engulfed in blue flame, and I felt strong power flood through my whole body

The Fool changed, morphing into my new bond, The Magician.

"Come forth!" I shouted.

"_Kaze Izanagi!"_

Iza reappeared from the blue flame, but he was different. His coat had changed to an open-zip hoddie, and from black to a dark green, and his blade now had green tones to it. His claws, his jeans, and his boots had all changed to green, and his now green t-shirt had a 1 on it.

"Magaru!" I yelled, crushing the card again.

Iza crouched, and swept his blade 360 degrees, and a burst of green wind-blades burst out, slicing the hair holding down Yosuke and Jiraiya to shreds, and sending the shadow flying.

"Yosuke, ready?" I asked, picking him up off the floor.

He grinned.

"Right there with ya, partner!"

The two personae lined up with us, and we readied our weapons.

"GO!" I yelled, and we charged.

The shadow didn't stand a chance.

I felt my sword break through her skull, and black ichor started to cover my clothes and blade, but I felt no pity.

I felt no anguish, I felt no remorse.

It was a Shadow, and it deserved no mercy.

The fight was done, and I felt Iza return to my psyche, and I saw Jiraiya do the same.

The shadow reverted to its human form with a scream, and I heard Satonaka rise to her feet.

I moved out of the way, allowing her to see her shadow face to face.

She stepped toward it, still wary of the creature.

"_**She needs help."**_

_No she doesn't she needs to get over it herself._

"_**C'mon, be nice to her."**_

"Satonaka." I said, my tone sharp.

She turned toward me, her eyes still moist with tears.

I sighed.

"Get over it." I said, my tone neutral. "It's the only way to move forward in life. Get over the hurdles, and you'll be fine."

I turned back toward the stairs, and began to walk out.

"S-Sensei!" I heard Teddie cry out. "Wait for me!"

"_**Look."**_

I looked over my shoulder, just in time to see the shadow change into a Persona.

And, despite myself, I smiled.

_*CRASH*_

_The Fool Social Link has reached Rank 2!_

_**AN: Well? How was it?!**_

_**This is my first time really writing a fight scene, and I, personally, think I botched it. I don't think it's as good as some of the other stuff I've read, but it's the best I could come up with.**_

_**Yes, the Wild Card has been changed! Yu will still wield different personae, but he will mainly use different version of Izanagi, each with their own traits.**_

_**Well, that's all for now, so…**_

_**Stay Tuned!**_


End file.
